“Hairspray Jr.” performed by students from Dearborn Public Schools.

DEARBORN — The performing arts are alive and thriving at Dearborn Public schools— a fact made evident by five packed houses at performances of the musical “Hairspray Jr.” at Stout Middle School. 

The one hour and 40 minute spectacle involved the strenuous dedication of more than 90 Dearborn Public Schools students, ranging from first to eighth graders from Stout Middle School, Unis Middle School, Long Elementary, Snow Elementary and Becker Elementary. 

“Hairspray” follows the story of Tracy Turnblad, a girl with big hair and a big heart, who lands a spot on a local television dance program and faces challenges of racial segregation. 

“Hairspray Jr.” is based on the 1988 New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters, which led to a Broadway production that ran for more than 2,500 performances and won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

In 2007, New Line Cinema released a film adaptation of the stage version, starring John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken and Queen Latifah.

Stout Theater Director Rashid Baydoun told The Arab American News that auditions for “Hairspray Jr.” began in January and that he sought out talented students from across the district to participate in the musical.

Baydoun said he wanted the production to include an all-inclusive cast of students from various backgrounds. He noted that because “Hairspray” tackles race relations, it was important that he sought out African American students to participate in the play.

“African American participation was key because it’s about race relations,” Baydoun said. “I had to go seek them out early on in order to ensure we didn’t veer off from the script. It was very important that we remained genuine.”

Once the roles were set, Baydoun and the students practiced more than twice a week after school. He would even hold meetings with individual students to sharpen their acting and singing skills.

He noted that he received a tremendous amount of support from Arab American parents, even if it took some convincing in the beginning. 

“Some of the parents initially had some concerns about the dancing and singing in the beginning,” Baydoun said. “But after they’d seen the tremendous job their kids were doing, they wanted to be a part of this monumental occasion. We were able to get the community involved and make it a larger-than-life production.”

Because the Theater Department doesn’t have a budget, Baydoun received donations from local community members to fund the sets and costumes. 

Last year, he spearheaded “School House Rock Jr.” at Stout Middle School, which set a precedent for this year’s musical. 

He cited the performing arts as a necessity in the education and advancement of students.

“It reaffirms the notion that performing arts plays an important role in quality of life and education that people deserve to have,” he said. “It should be very much a part of everyone’s curriculum. Studies show that students who have music and performing arts and theater tend to score higher on standardized testing and tend to succeed in areas of presentation and confidence.”

Baydoun noted that students at Stout have been so receptive to performing arts that they created their own student-led organization, the Stout Theater Company (STC), which he advises.

STC President Bailey Holmes, an eighth grader who had the role of Penny in the musical, said she was astonished by the amount of work that was accomplished.

“I am incredibly proud of all those who helped make Hairspray Jr. a huge success,” Holmes said. “I am honored to have served as president of the Stout Theater Company and helped contribute to the success of our theater program here at Stout.”

Jameel Baksh, who played the role of Link Larkin, said the production taught him an important lesson.

“My experience with Hairspray Jr. helped broaden my understanding of theater and further deepened my appreciation for the performing arts,” Baksh said. 

He also cited Baydoun as an influence on all the students who participated in the musical. 

But for Baydoun, “Hairspray Jr.” wasn’t just about teaching his students how to master the performing arts. 

“It was a dynamic musical with an important message,” he said. “Acceptance comes in all shapes, sizes and nationalities. Through their production, these students explored ideas like civil rights and discrimination in the context of a period of tremendous social and historical significance in the U.S.” 

City Council President Susan Dabaja attended one of the performances and then awarded Baydoun with a citation.

Dabaja stressed the importance of theater in Dearborn’s public education and cited Baydoun as someone who has motivated the youth.

The city has reached out to Baydoun to keep the ball rolling even outside of the public school system. He has been tapped to direct a live musical performance of “Annie”, slated to open this summer at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

“I am honored to receive this much feedback from the city,” Baydoun said. “My ultimate goal is to have this become a catalyst for other schools. I want students and parents to take these ideas back to their schools and perhaps set up their own performing arts program.”